Faced with the worsening water shortage currently affecting our cities, some sections of the media have been suggesting that turf grass is a high water user, and that grass lawns should not be included as part of a waterwise landscape.

But is this true? Are those media claims based on fact?

In our last issue I discussed the merits of a good potting mix, so having purchased the best potting mix available we should now be looking at how to put it to good use and grow the best potted plants.

The popularity of growing plants in containers is increasing every year, no doubt due to the fact that although the size of suburban backyards is diminishing dramatically, the size of the dwellings being erected on them is increasing at a comparable rate. So, the opportunity to have an extensive garden has virtually disappeared. The increasing population of apartment dwellers has also created a greater interest in container gardening.

If you are looking for plants that will flower spectacularly and reliably all year round, you really can’t go past the mandevillas. Some are vigorous twining climbers; some are rather more shrubby. But they all produce masses of flowers, which generally range in colour from pure white to deep crimson.

A number of colourful new varieties have become available over the past few years. You may know some of them as ‘dipladenias’, since this is the name under which many have been sold. They are all worth growing, and all reasonably easy to propagate by cutting, as long as you follow some basic rules.

Our busy editor still finds time to provide some useful tips and tricks in and around the garden, whether it be for the home or commercial knowledge.

Paul Plant looks at:

How to...tell when your palm is dying of drought;

…divide and increase numbers with elks;

…collect and sprout frangipani seeds; and

…create a pot with succulents.